“Bee Movie” is a recent cartoon released by Dreamworks and written by Jerry Seinfeld. I watched it with my children last night and we enjoyed it.
Barry is a young bee who has just graduated from college. The lifespan of a bee being somewhat short, his entire college career lasted three days, but his graduation is still a big deal. He can now choose which job he wants out of all those offered in the hive. He can stir honey. He can sweep the floors. He can clean the bathrooms. Whatever job he takes, he will do it the rest of his life, so he must choose carefully. His own father is a stirrer, and he wants Barry to follow in his footsteps, but Barry has bigger dreams. He wants to leave the hive. He wants to join the Bee Brigade, the tough gang of bees who go out and collect nectar, and pollenate the flowers. But you have to be special to get that job – you can’t just sign up for it, like the others.
Barry manages to get the Bee Brigade to let him fly with them for a day, and he’s entranced with the world outside the hive. The air is so fresh and clean, the colors are so vibrant, and the flowers are incredible. He could do this the rest of his life. But he gets separated from the Brigade and it starts to rain, and bees can’t fly in the rain. When he seeks refuge, he gets trapped in an apartment and is nearly squished by a pair of boots, but is saved at the last minute by a lovely human named Vanessa. She scoops him up and puts him in the plant just outside her window.
The next day, he wants to thank her, but there’s a cardinal rule bees must follow – no talking to humans. But his desire to show gratitude is too strong, and he breaks silence to tell her how much he appreciates her for saving his life. They strike up a friendship, which eventually turns into a joint venture. Barry discovers that humans have been stealing honey from bees for years, and he wants to set things right. He brings about a law suit, which the bees win, and they get to keep their honey. But this makes both the humans and the bees miserable, and they realize they need each other in order to maintain the proper balance in nature.
This movie was a lot of fun. There was some swearing, which surprised me in a family film. Depending on the rules in your household, you may want to preview before sitting down to watch it with your children.
This film is rated PG.
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Jerry Seinfeld: Stand Up for Stand-Up